The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-27
IN FEMALE ATTIRE.
How Murderer Shai;key Escaped from
the 1Or.bs
FROM ne san Efancisco Eran.i,ler.

wife of the comedian who is now PLAYING ar
engagement in this city, if they have nc
previous, knowledge of her past life. would
little think that she is the heroine of aa ex-
plot which, for consulnnlaUe skill and dar.
ing, far uutshines any similar act of history
or fiction. Mrs. Scanlaa's maiden name
was Maggie Jourdan, her parents being well
known and respected people, who during
their lifetime, resided in New York city
In Gotham Maggie was born and reared
until the time when, while still quite a
young girl, she met and fell IN love with
WilliamJ Sharkey.
Sharkey is described as a man who never
feared any living thing. When boy he
fell III with a crowd of rcughs, and soon
learned to be an expert in the art of picking
pockets, eventually graduating from that
primary school of crime into the more In
crative field of burglary. He was however,
possessed of large amount of native
shrewdness, which invariably saved him
from meeting his just deserts at the hands
of the police. He was arrested times in
Vulnerable, but always managed to wriggle
through some loophole in the law.
THIEF AND WARD LEADER.
His superior talents soon gathered around
him a large constituency of men of his own
class, and SO many voters did he and his
friends control in the Eighth Ward that
they generally managed to run things to
suit themselves until Sharkey, by some mis-
chance being defeated in a fight for Alder
manic honors, left the field of politics in dis
gust. His tastes then led him to pick his
friends among the gamblers, who at that
time infested New York, and it was not
long before Sharkey, having acquired some
wealth, started faro game in Buffalo. The
bank did not pan out well, and Sharkey re-
turned to New York 81 zoo poorer than
when he left
Among his numerous friends was faro
dealer named Robert S. Dunn, who imagined
that if given a chance he could make the
game pay, so Sharkey 'stakedn him to the
tune of 5000, which was soon jingling in the
pockets of the Buffaloites, and Dunn re-
turned to New York fiat broke.
Sharkey claimed that the 5000 was merely
a loan, and he frequently asked Dunn to
pay it, but that individual never had
enough to comply with the demand.
Little did Dunn think that 5000 was to be
the cause of his death One day a sporting
man, and a mutual friend of Dunn ana
Sharkey, died, and his funeral, which took
place on a Sunday, was attended by the
whilom partners. They left the cortege at
the ferry, however, and returned uptown
by different routes.
DELIBERATE MURDER.
A few hours later Dunn was standing in
a saloon talking with some friends when
Sharkey, who had evidently been drinking,
entered alone. He walked up to Dunn and
demanded the $500. Dunn replied that he
did not have it; upon which Sharkey back
ed to the door, and, pulling a derringer from
his pocket, leveled it at Dunn. The next
instant he pulled the trigger, crimson
streak Of flame flashed from the barrel and
Dunn fell with a bullet in his heart
Sharkey then rushed from the saloon and
escaped.
Two days later the assassin was arrested,
he having been tracked by Detective Cor
don to a room in a house on Washington
street, near Perry. Sharkey set up the plea
that the killing was accidental, but notwith-
standing this he was convicted of murder in
the first degree, and the date of execution
was set for Aug. 15 1878. The case being
appealed to the Supreme Court, a writ of
error was granted, and pending a second
hearing the murderer was confined in the
Tombs prison.
THE wIFE's DIPLOMACY.
During his trial and after it Mrs Sharkey.
nee Maggie Jourdan, proved herself most
devoted wife. Day after day the doors of
the prison would no sooner be opened than
she would appear and remain until the hour
of closing. She never failed to bring him
some package, the contents of which would
serve to while away the weary hours. So
exemplary was her conduct that Chief
Jailer Phillips gave orders that she be
allowed to enter and leave the prison with
out having to take the ticket which the
prison rules demanded should be given to
each visitor upon entering and which they
were obliged to surrender upon leaving the
prison.
On Nov. 10, 1873, while Sharkey's appeal
was still pending, his wife visited him in the
prison. and was still with him when Mrs
Westley Allen entered for the purpose of
visiting a burglar named Flood. She con-
versed for a moment with Sharkey in pass
ing his cell, but no Importance attached to
the circumstance at the time. Mrs. Sharkey
left the prison at half-past l o'clock, and |
was followed some time after by a woman |
dressed in black, and with a heavy green |
veil, which concealed her face This person |
was Sharkey in female attire, who, upon |
reaching the gate, surrendered visitors |
ticket and passed out unmolested.
CLEVER ESCAPE.
One of the three guards who were stand |
ing by thought he noticed something sus-
picous about the supposed woman, but had |
his suspicion aiayed when, upon following |
the disguised murderer, he caught sight of /
a pair of high-heeled CATERS on the escaping
feet as their owner was boarding a Blocker
street car.
Four hours later Miss Allan wanted to
leave the Toubs, but not having her visi-
TOR ticket, which she claimed TO nave lost,
she was detained until the prison could be
searched. Then it was that Sharkey's es-
cape was discovered. Miss Allan was ar
rested but nothing could be proved against
her, and she was finally allowed to go.
A search of Sharkey's late cell brought to
light his own clothes, anc on a shelf in the
cell was found his mustache still wet from
iather He had shaved it off with razor
brought to him by his wife, and the fe-
male clothes he wore when he escaped were
brought him, garment at time, by the
same faithful woman.
3 SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT.
All America -. secured for the muir
derer, but he was never recaptured. The
conductor of the ca. which he boarded on
Bleecker street remembered the supposed
woman, who, he said, had alighted at Water
street There the trail ended, and it was
several months before the authorities dis
covered that he was in Havana, from which
country it was impossible to extradite him.
Capt. Lees has information that Sharkey
Is now in Madrid Spain, where he is as safe
from the law as if he were in his grave.
Mrs. SharlSey was arrested two days after
The escape at 1917 Ninth avenue, but was &C
quilted by jury.
A few years ago sho secured divorce
from Sharkey and married Seaman. Mrs.
Seaman has been very beautiful girl and,
although she has seen some hard times in her
G., Il. A. Al